The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Maple tree, botanically known as Acer buergerianum, commercially referred to as Trident Maple and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘RustyAllen’.
The new Maple tree is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Athens, Ga. and Winterville, Ga. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Maple trees appropriate for urban landscapes that have an upright pyramidal tree form, vigorous growth habit and bright red autumn leaf color.
The new Maple tree originated from an open-pollination of an unnamed selection of Acer buergerianum, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown selection of Acer buergerianum as the male, or pollen, parent. The open-pollination occurred in a controlled environment in Athens, Ga. in March, 2001. The new Maple tree was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single plant from within the progeny of the stated open-pollination in a controlled environment in Winterville, Ga. in April, 2004.
Asexual reproduction of the new Maple tree by softwood cuttings in a controlled environment in Winterville, Ga. has shown that the unique features of this new Maple tree are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.